Reinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in Minnesota MPS facts for kids
Reinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in Minnesota MPS is a special collection of bridges in Minnesota that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Think of the National Register as a list of important places in American history, like famous buildings or old battlefields. This collection, called a "Multiple Property Submission" (MPS), helps explain why these bridges are special.
The collection includes 20 individual bridges. It also features a huge group of 30 bridges called the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Grade Separation in Minneapolis. These bridges were built over old train tracks. This MPS helps us understand the history of building bridges with reinforced concrete in Minnesota and highlights some of the oldest and most important ones.
Contents
Why Are Bridges Listed as Historic?
To be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, bridges must meet certain rules. Here are the main reasons a bridge might be considered important enough:
Important History
- Some bridges are special because they played a big part in the history of an area or its transportation system. For example, the bridges in the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Grade Separation are important because they helped people in south Minneapolis deal with busy train traffic, even if they weren't super fancy designs.
Connected to Famous People
- A bridge might be listed if it's strongly connected to a very important person from the past. This usually means the person was involved in getting the bridge built, like a mayor or a community leader, rather than just the person who designed it.
Amazing Design or Building Methods
- Many bridges are listed because of their unique design or how they were built. The Minnesota Historical Society looked for bridges that stood out. This could be:
* The oldest bridge of its kind. * The last bridge of a certain type still standing. * A bridge with the longest span (the distance between its supports) for its type. * A bridge designed by a very famous engineer or architect.
Key Times for Concrete Bridges
Building bridges with reinforced concrete changed over time. Here are some important periods for these bridges in Minnesota:
- Early Experiments (1890s to 1911): This was a time when engineers were trying out new ideas for concrete bridges.
- Standard Designs (1912 to 1921): During this period, the Minnesota Highway Commission started using more standard designs for bridges, making them more common.
- Major Highway Bridges (1921 to 1945): This was a time of building many big bridges for new highways and cities across Minnesota.
Some famous concrete arch bridges, like the Franklin Avenue Bridge and the Mendota Bridge, were already listed on the National Register before this special collection was put together.
List of Historic Bridges
Here are some of the bridges included in this important collection:
| Bridge Name | Picture | Date Listed | Location | City or Town | What Makes it Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridge No. 3355-Kathio Township |  |
June 29, 1998 | US-169 over Whitefish Cr. 46°12′56″N 93°47′33″W / 46.21556°N 93.79250°W |
Kathio Township | |
| 2 | Bridge No. 3589-Silver Creek Township |  |
June 29, 1998 | US-61 over Stewart R. 47°2′59″N 91°37′50″W / 47.04972°N 91.63056°W |
Silver Creek Township | |
| 3 | Bridge No. 5083-Marshall |  |
June 29, 1998 | MN 19 over Redwood R. 44°26′58″N 95°47′6″W / 44.44944°N 95.78500°W |
Marshall | |
| 4 | Bridge No. 5151-Marshall |  |
June 29, 1998 | MN 19 over Redwood R. 44°26′35″N 95°47′58″W / 44.44306°N 95.79944°W |
Marshall | |
| 5 | Bridge No. 8096 |  |
June 26, 1998 | MN 19 over Spring Cr. 44°27′51″N 93°9′13″W / 44.46417°N 93.15361°W |
Northfield | |
| 6 | Bridge No. L-2162 |  |
November 6, 1989 | Co. Rd. 51 over Split Rock Creek 43°46′46″N 96°25′54″W / 43.77944°N 96.43167°W |
Jasper | |
| 7 | Bridge No. L-2315 | November 6, 1989 | Twp. Rd. 89 over Rock River 43°33′21″N 96°9′9″W / 43.55583°N 96.15250°W |
Luverne | ||
| 8 | Bridge No. L-2316 | November 6, 1989 | Twp. Rd. 89 over Rock River 43°33′31″N 96°9′9″W / 43.55861°N 96.15250°W |
Luverne | ||
| 9 | Bridge No. L-4646 |  |
November 6, 1989 | Sixth St. over Spring Brook 43°36′55″N 96°21′34″W / 43.61528°N 96.35944°W |
Beaver Creek | |
| 10 | Bridges No. L-5853 and 92247 |   |
November 6, 1989 | Lexington Ave. in Como Park 44°58′42″N 93°8′47″W / 44.97833°N 93.14639°W |
St. Paul | These were early concrete bridges that used a special building method called the Melan system. |
| 11 | Broadway Bridge |  |
August 5, 1999 | MN 99 over Minnesota River, Oshawa Twp. 44°19′29″N 93°57′10″W / 44.32472°N 93.95278°W |
Saint Peter | |
| 12 | Cedar Avenue Bridge |  |
November 6, 1989 | Tenth Ave. over Mississippi River 44°58′31″N 93°14′45″W / 44.97528°N 93.24583°W |
Minneapolis | |
| 13 | Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Grade Separation |  |
June 1, 2005 | Parallel to 29th St. between Humboldt & 20th Aves. S. 44°57′3″N 93°16′18″W / 44.95083°N 93.27167°W |
Minneapolis | |
| 14 | Faribault Viaduct |  |
November 6, 1989 | Division St. over Straight River 44°17′27″N 93°16′0″W / 44.29083°N 93.26667°W |
Faribault | |
| 15 | Intercity Bridge |  |
November 6, 1989 | Ford Pkwy. over Mississippi River 44°55′4″N 93°12′14″W / 44.91778°N 93.20389°W |
St. Paul | |
| 16 | Interlachen Bridge |  |
November 6, 1989 | William Berry Dr. over Minnesota Transportation Museum street railway track in William Berry Park 44°55′53″N 93°18′31″W / 44.93139°N 93.30861°W |
Minneapolis | |
| 17 | Lester River Bridge-Bridge No. 5772 |  |
September 6, 2002 | London Rd. over the Lester R. 46°50′12″N 92°0′22″W / 46.83667°N 92.00611°W |
Duluth | |
| 18 | Nymore Bridge |  |
November 6, 1989 | First St. over Mississippi River 47°28′1″N 94°52′42″W / 47.46694°N 94.87833°W |
Bemidji | |
| 19 | Queen Avenue Bridge |  |
November 6, 1989 | W. Lake Harriet Blvd. over Minnesota Transportation Museum street railway track 44°55′28″N 93°18′40″W / 44.92444°N 93.31111°W |
Minneapolis | |
| 20 | Robert Street Bridge |  |
November 6, 1989 | Robert St. over Mississippi River 44°56′41″N 93°5′17″W / 44.94472°N 93.08806°W |
St. Paul |
